Ingrid Berkeley

Buildings in the UK account for a huge quantity of carbon dioxide emissions - as high as 45% of our overall output.

Being able to make a positive difference in reducing the built environment’s consumption of natural resources, and to mitigate the impact of climate change, is enormously important to me.

One of the conditions that weighs heavily on a building’s energy performance is complexity. Too often unnecessarily complex designs mean a building performs badly because it’s difficult to operate, and things go wrong. I aspire to simplicity, and I privilege passive design over mechanical intervention.

My role covers many aspects from advising on low carbon techniques for generating energy on site, to carrying out Post Occupancy Evaluations to ensure the building performs as designed. I’m also a Soft Landings champion and joint BREEAM Manager for the Practice.

There are powerful ways we can improve the performance of our buildings and reduce their impact on the planet. I love playing my part in that outcome.

Outside of Max Fordham, I am a member of the Heriot-Watt University Industrial Panel for the MEng Architectural Engineering and the postgraduate MSc Building Services Engineering programmes. I am also Chair of the CIBSE Scotland Region Committee and a Chartered Engineer.